“Each person is different, never existed before and never to exist again…”

MAUDE: I should like to change into a sunflower most of all. They are so tall and simple. What flower would you like to be?

HAROLD: I don’t know. One of these maybe?

MAUDE: Why do you say that?

HAROLD: Because they are all alike..

MAUDE: Oooh, but they are not. Look. See – some are smaller, some are fatter, some grow to the left, some to the right, some even have lost some petals – all kinds of observable differences. You see, Harold, I feel that much of the world’s sorrow comes from people who are this, and allow themselves to be treated as that…

Each person is different, never existed before and never to exist again. Just like this daisy – an individual…


From Wikipedia: Harold and Maude is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Hal Ashby. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama, with a plot that revolves around the exploits of a young man intrigued with death, Harold (played by Bud Cort). Harold drifts away from the life that his detached mother prescribes for him, and develops a relationship with an elderly woman named Maude (played by Ruth Gordon).

The film is ranked number 45 on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Funniest Movies of all Time, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1997 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was a commercial flop in its original release, and critical reception was extremely mixed. However, it has since developed a large cult following.


Harold and MaudeHarold and Maude

Directed by Hal Ashby

Amazon Video on demand ($9.99)
DVD version

Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (356 Reviews) A teenager with a death wish and a 79-year-old high on life find love in Hal Ashby’s cult black comedy. Deadpan rich boy Harold (Bud Cort) keeps staging elaborate suicide tableaux to get the attention of his mother (Vivian Pickles), but she keeps planning his brilliant future for him instead. Obsessed with the trappings of death, Harold freaks out his blind dates, modifies his new sports car to look like a mini-hearse, and attends funerals, where he meets the spirited Maude (Ruth Gordon). An eccentric to the core, Maude lives exactly as she pleases, with avid collecting and nude modeling among her many pursuits. To the disgust of Harold’s relatives and the befuddlement of Harold’s shrink, Harold falls in love with her. As lilting Cat Stevens tunes play on the soundtrack, Maude teaches Harold a valuable lesson about making the most of his time on earth.

Fantastic 5 B. Emory (Wilmington NC)
I had heard about this movie through friends but was never impressed by the story. A reclusive anti-social kid who befriends and falls in love with an elderly (though young at heart) eccentric. I wrote it off completely until I saw a bit of it on television and thought it was hilarious and as it turns out I rented the movie and was extremely hooked. Harold is a rich kid with a high strung, selfish mother who tries anything to find a suitor for him, in turn Harold escapes from his home to overshadow funeral processions and memorials. At a number of these events, Maude is in attendance and she lights up the scene with her off the wall, and positively upbeat personality that horrifies and amuses Harold. After a while they become unlikely friends. Maude helps Harold live a little and in turn he develops true affection to Maude. With Ruth Gordon’s charm and incredible acting abilities, and Cat Steven’s classy soundtrack, its not hard to find yourself feeling happy and free after the movie is over. It really teaches you a message about being your own person and enjoying life.

For more information about “Harold and Maude” visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)


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